BURMA'S military leaders have released several key political prisoners on the eve of the anniversary of last year's brutal crackdown on the monk-led demonstrations in Rangoon that left hundreds dead and many more injured.

The political activists were part of a massive amnesty for more than 9,000 prisoners -- mostly petty criminals, which analysts believe is part of the regime's preparations for the planned elections in two years time.

Among those freed was the country's longest serving political prisoner, the veteran journalist and political activist, Win Tin. At least four other prominent MP's from the National League for Democracy (NLD) were also released.

However, the party's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest in her Rangoon residence, where she has spent more than 13 of the last 19 years.

Win Tin has spent the last 19 years in jail on subversion charges. Immediately after he was released he vowed to continue fighting until Burma was a democratic nation -- a battle he took up during 1988, when mass pro-democracy demonstrations brought the country to a standstill for months before the army intervened and seized power in a bloody coup. "I will keep fighting until the emergence of democracy in this country," he told Burmese journalists gathered outside his house in Rangoon.

Many analysts believe these particular releases are timed to help deflect criticism and pressure from the international community at this year's United Nations General Assembly, which got underway in New York last week.

Only last week, the UN envoy for Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, appealed to the Burmese leaders to release the country's political prisoners. It would seem that the regime may now be trying to make concessions to the international community for fear that the UN Security Council might resume its efforts to get international sanctions imposed against Rangoon.

"The releases were planned to help reduce international pressure," Bo Kyi, who runs an organisation for Burmese political prisoners based in Thailand, told Asia. It is meant primarily to serve as a weapon for its allies -- China, India, Russia and Asean in order to defend it at the UN."

The international community has welcomed the releases -- especially that of Win Tin. But most analysts and diplomats in Rangoon do not believe this is the start of a mass amnesty for the country's remaining political prisoners.

"While the release of U Win Tin and his fellow prisoners is certainly the best news to come out of Myanmar for a long time, unfortunately they represent less than one percent of the political prisoners there," Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International's Myanmar researcher told The Daily Star from London in a phone interview. "These handful of people should never have been imprisoned in the first place, and there are many, many more."

The releases came as a complete surprise, as in the past few weeks the regime has sentenced several students and NLD activists to long prison sentences. During September this year alone, the regime has arrested 37 political activists, including the renowned student activist of the 88 groups, Ni Lar Thein, Bo Kyi said.

The sentencing of the young labour activist, Thet Way to two years hard labour earlier this month drew sharp criticism from international organisations, especially the International Labour Organisation. Thet Way had been helping people, especially child soldiers, to file complaints against the government about forced labour.

In a press statement issued last week, the ILO said it was "concerned and disappointed" at the sentence -- the maximum permissible under the law. The ILO had been in contact with the military government about the case "at a senior level," it added.

Only last week Lu Tin Win was sentenced to two years in jail, on charges of "disrespectful act towards the state," according to opposition sources. Lu Tin Win was originally detained in 1999 but released in 2007.

He was re-arrested almost exactly a year ago at a checkpoint where he was searched and found by the police to have a copy of the book "Opinion of 88 Generation Students."

"This is the junta's strategy -- release political prisoners, especially when the sentences finish, and re-arrest them when they fear they are becoming a threat to the regime," said Bo Kyi. But others feel that the regime's larger strategy for the future may be behind the recent release of these political prisoners.

"The release of political prisoners probably signals the start of a process of preparations for the elections planned for two years time," the independent Burmese academic, Win Min told The Daily Star. "The regime knows it must find ways of controlling the outcome without looking too draconian," he said.

The elections, which are part of the country's roadmap to "disciplined democracy," are scheduled to be held in the early part of 2010, according to Burmese military sources.

As yet, there is no concrete information as to which parties will be allowed to field candidates, and it is unclear whether the NLD will be permitted to compete.

The regime recently announced through the state run media that thousands of prisoners would be released in the run-up to the elections because of their good behaviour, and to allow them to serve the nation.

The junta has already begun to release the 9,002 prisoners in a gesture of "loving kindness and goodwill," the state-censored independent weekly newspaper Myanmar Times reported.

But there is no mention of whether any of these planned releases would include political prisoners. The UK-based human rights group, Amnesty International, estimates that there are still more than 2,100 political prisoners languishing in Burma's jails

In the weeks to come, as the regime plans the scheduled elections, there is likely to be many changes in Burma's political scene. However, most of these are likely to be cosmetic. The regime has already begun to describe itself as a transitional authority.

The Information Minister, Brig-General Kyaw Hsan, told the UN Envoy Ibrahim Gambari when they met in Rangoon last month that the transitional government would "oppose and wipe out those who attempted to jeopardise or harm the constitution."

This can only mean that the military authorities are going to continue to ruthlessly suppress dissent. And there is little likelihood of the forth-coming elections being free and fair. "The military will not make the mistake it did in 1990 -- allowing a free and fair election (which the NLD convincingly won)," Win Min told The Daily Star. "But, at the moment, what it fears most is another uprising on the streets -- and Win Tin's release in particular may also be intended to dampen the anger against the regime in the country that is growing and becoming more vociferous everyday."

Larry Jagan, a former Current Affairs Editor, Asia, BBC World Service, writes for The Daily Star from Bangkok.